


Red Smoke

by AsleepinAvonlea



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-03 05:00:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,342
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24149344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsleepinAvonlea/pseuds/AsleepinAvonlea
Summary: Rey works as a singer for a Prohibition era speakeasy. Ben left his family young and joined the mob. Now that the mob is starting to take over the alcohol smuggling business, Ben has been sent to convince his family to join his criminal "family".
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey & Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 4
Kudos: 3





	Red Smoke

**_Author's Note: Any starred words are slang from the era and will be defined at the bottom. This might not be any good because I'm writing it quickly, but the idea kept bouncing around my head._ **

**_-Asleep_ **

"That was not smart," Rey murmured, scooping ice from the machine and into a stained rag on the metal counter beside her. 

"It was chivalrous," Poe called from the front of the house. Rey's eyes rolled while she folded the rag and twisted it shut. "He was like Buster Keaton, all action and no emotion."

"Buster Keaton isn't a mug*," Rey muttered to herself, sweeping out of the kitchen to join Finn and Poe in front of the bar. "And he definitely doesn't try and cold-cock the mob."

She sat the bundle of ice on the counter and sat on the barstool next to Finn. He thanked her before pressing the ice to his split lip. 

"The guy deserved it," Poe insisted, mopping up the drops of blood by the door. "He tried to punch out Han, Finn just did what he needed to do. Shit- I'd have done the same damn thing if I wasn't stuck scrubbing the downstairs bar."

"Then you're a mug too," Rey frowned, crossing her arms. "You don't think there'll be consequences to hitting the guy? He's not exactly a banker. Next time he comes around he won't be by himself."

"And neither will we," Finn said, wincing from the way the cloth pulled at his lip.

Not ten minutes ago, an absolute mountain of a man had darkened the Cantina doorstep. He hadn't bothered coming in so far as the counter, instead speaking to his parents about something that not a one of them was completely clear on. The first one upstairs had been Finn, thankfully. He'd been able to step between Han and his son before things got particularly ugly. 

Though, for some godforsaken reason, Finn had found it prudent to punch the guy directly in the face. The only thing any of them really knew about Ben Solo was his temper, yet because of 'chivalry' Finn's blood was being cleaned up off the floor. 

Rey didn't catch the first hit, or the second swing that Finn took, but she was being assured that they were both called for and truly a sight to behold. Apparently, Ben Solo would have fallen had he not been so close to the door. Instead, he rocked back on his heels and came forward again with enough leverage to knock Finn to the ground.

Rey had emerged from the curtained off hall just as Han stepped over Finn to protect him from another attack. His son, knowing full well that he would soon be outnumbered, retreated with very few parting words.

"We both know this isn't for my sake."

Whatever that meant, it gave Rey a sour feeling in her gut. 

Once the blood was mopped and the drum* was emptied, the three were joined by Rose, both an incredible pianist and reliable friend, and Leia. Han had locked himself in the back office. 

"You're sure you'll be alright without us?" Finn asked, slipping into the jacket that Poe was holding up for him. 

"We'll be fine. We won't be leaving for a long while and Chewie is still downstairs," she nodded, dabbing at his lip. The blood stopped, thankfully, but he was still a mess. Finn looked vaguely amused by her ministrations. "You'll keep track of him, won't you Poe?"

"Yes, ma'am," Poe nodded, wrapping an arm around Finn's shoulders. "I'll tuck him into bed all cozy-like." 

Rose and Rey, stood next to the door, exchanged a glance. Ever since Poe and Finn had moved in together, they had become more impulsive, not less. If the two of them spent the night in, it would be a surprise to everyone.

No, by the morning there would be a new legend spreading through Harlem.

Rose, Rey, Finn, and Poe said their final goodbyes and exited together. They only walked a block together, to the nearest subway tunnel. Rey hugged her friends goodnight and waved them down the staircase, turning to the quiet street. 

Seeing that it was mid-June, even the gentle summer breeze was suffocating. She extracted her hat pin from her hair and held it tightly in her hand while she crossed the street.

She didn't often feel tense walking home, but she'd considered asking her friends to take a later train so that she wasn't alone. Finn's blood on the white tile floor was stuck in her mind, reminding her of the violence that was inherent in city life. 

The same five-blocks she walked every night seemed much darker, the alleyways much more menacing. Her eyes dissected every shadow as she rushed down the sidewalk to her one bedroom apartment. 

She turned the last corner, only about 300 steps from her door, and she stopped dead in her tracks. Hunched over and smoking, a man sat on a bus bench under one of the many broken streetlights. The only nearby illumination was the red glow of the stoplight looming overhead. 

No, she didn't see his face, but she recognized him. Ben Solo was between her and her front door. Even if she went around the block, he would see her when she crossed the street. It would draw more attention if she turned and left rather than continuing on. 

So, her hatpin held more tightly in her fist, Rey continued on. Her pace was considerably faster, the echo of her heels bouncing off buildings and into the foggy sky. 

Just as she passed behind him, the hem of her dress dragging against a shop window, Ben stood up. Rey stopped again, eyeing him nervously. 

He threw down his cigarette and stomped it out before sparing her a glance. He looked much more tired than she'd expected. The slump of his shoulders and hesitance in his expression made him seem much less imposing than he had been in the doorway of the Cantina. 

"I didn't mean for it to go that way," he murmured, examining Rey just as carefully as she examined him. It confused her that he even cared to explain himself. It wasn't as if she was an authority or even a threat. Without her pin, she wouldn't have much in the way of self defense. 

He most likely recognized that as well.

"I'm not in control of what happens next if this doesn't work out," Ben explained. His eyes were sharper now, as though they were trying to express some sense of urgency. "Tell them that, will you?"

Rey peeled her eyes. She had the urge to ask some type of clarifying question, to say 'who do I tell' or 'what happens next', but this was not a conversation she wanted to have and he was most definitely not the man to have it with.

She nodded. 

That nod brought some level of relief to Ben's face. He nodded, pulling his eyes away from her to look down the road, like he was searching for a cab before thinking better of it. 

Without a final line, Ben fixed his hat and turned away. It wasn't until he was across the street and around a corner that Rey turned and jogged toward her door, not stopping once until she had firmly shut and locked herself in for the night.

Only once she had collapsed into her bed, the red satin dress hung along with the others, that she felt truly safe. Her bright orange and white cat lay on the pillow by her head, purring contentedly while she fell off into a deep sleep.

That night, she dreamt of rosé and red smoke. 

Slang:

Mug- idiot man

Drum- speakeasy

Hat pin- not exactly slang, but women in this era would use long sharp pins to hold ornate hats in place. There are many stories of women using these in self defense as they were often 6-10 inches long. One cool lady stopped a train robbery with a hat pin.


End file.
